Wood on DL and Dempster questionable for Sunday start

Wood's move expected but Dempster's sore right leg a surprise that could give Wells chance

April 20, 2012|By Dave van Dyck, Chicago Tribune reporter

Having to place Kerry Wood on the disabled list Friday was not all that surprising for the Cubs, but having Ryan Dempster questionable for Sunday's start is.

Dempster was sent for an MRI exam of a sore right quadriceps Friday and, to show the Cubs' concern, Iowa's Randy Wells was brought in from a Triple-A trip to Albuquerque as insurance.

Dempster has been the Cubs' best starter this season with a 1.33 ERA and a National League-leading 23 strikeouts after three starts.

A decision on whether he goes on the DL is expected Saturday, but his situation looks bleak. It's hard for a pitcher to be effective with a sore leg.

Wells, who was in the Cubs' rotation last season but was odd-man out in the spring, is 1-0 with a 9.42 ERA after three starts. He was scheduled to pitch Friday for Iowa.

One more time: Wood is on the DL for the 16th time in his career, this time for what is being called "shoulder fatigue."

The DL stint was backdated to last Saturday.

While Wood was given a cortisone shot, the Cub front office is taking no chance of bringing Wood back too soon.

"That's part of the reason we decided to DL him, because we don't want this to carry on," manager Dale Sveum said. "We want to get this done and get him strong for the rest of the season.

"We felt just to be safe that we need him completely ready to go instead of waiting a couple of days to see how things were going. We had to shore up the bullpen to make sure."

Wood is 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA in four games. left-hander Scott Maine, who had a 1.42 ERA in 61/3 innings at Iowa, will replace him in the bullpen.

Homecoming: Former Cubs' reliever Sean Marshall admitted "it's different but I'm getting used" to being dressed in red instead of blue, as he returned to Wrigley Field as the Reds' closer.

"Closing's good," said Marshall, a left-handed setup man for the Cubs. "It's the same game. I still have to make my pitches. I've always been comfortable no matter how many people are watching or how much noise is being made."

Marshall was traded from the Cubs during the winter for starter Travis Wood, outfielder Dave Sappelt and infielder Ronald Torreyes, who all are in the minor leagues. Wood is 1-1 with a 5.19 ERA after three starts at Iowa.

Extra innings: Marlon Byrd is hitting .070, but Sveum said it "looks like he's swinging the bat better. He's going to keep going out there. He's still an asset to us in center field. … Friday was the 96th anniversary of the first Cubs game at what now is known as Wrigley Field. The Cubs beat the Reds 7-6 in 11 innings at then-Weeghman Park. … With their victory Friday, the Reds became one of six teams with 10,000 victories to join the Cubs, Giants, Dodgers, Braves and Cardinals.